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Roster Moves (7/18): Mike Lamb DFA’d

By Wally Fish

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Like the phoenix, Roster Moves rises from the ashes reborn and ready to start life anew.  Headlining this edition is a major league player hanging on.  He’d like to rekindle his career but his recent designation might represent the end.

(The career path of Mike Lamb and the rest of yesterday’s moves after the jump)

Mike Lamb was the 7th round pick of the Texas Rangers in the 1997 draft, after being selected by the Minnesota Twins in the 31st round the previous year.  He signed quickly the 2nd time around (on June 6th) and got his professional career underway (which I applaud).  The Rangers sent Lamb to rookie ball in the Appalachian League to start his ascent to the majors and in 60 games Lamb hit 0.335/.412/.558 with 9 HR, 31 BB and 18 SO.  His performance in 1997 led the Rangers to skip him over low-A to start the 1998 season in high-A.  The competition of the Florida State League proved to be more of a challenge, but he didn’t exactly struggle, and Lamb hit 0.302/.356/.429. In 135 games he tallied only 9 HR and had 45 BB to go with 63 SO.  At 22 years of age he was still a bit old for the level and his future as a professional was still murky.  He had a nice start to his career under his belt but it was nothing that shouted that he would be future MLB regular or a guy that would figure into the team’s long term plans.

1999 hit and things changed.  Mike Lamb found his way to the Texas League (Double-A) and at 23 had a season to remember.  He hit 0.324/.388/.551 with 51 2B, 21 HR, 98 R, 100 RBI in 613 PA.  His BB to SO (53 to 65) rate improved slightly from the previous season despite playing against tougher competition.  The Texas League is a hitter friendly environment, but his performance in Double-A rightfully led to Lamb getting a brief 2 game taste of Triple-A.  With the Oklahoma Red Hawks he got a single, was walked intentionally, and got hit by a pitch in 4 plate appearances.  After his 1999 season, Mike Lamb was now a top-100 prospect landing at #71 in Baseball America’s rankings heading into the 2000 season.

When the 2000 season opened, Lamb was in Triple-A but he’d be there for only 14 games before he getting the call.  On April 23rd, 2000 Mike Lamb made his major league debut at home against, coincidentally, the Minnesota Twins.  That night he went 1-4 in a losing effort but he spent the rest of the season playing 3B for the Rangers and hit 0.278/.328/.373 with 25 2B, 6 HR, 34 BB, 60 SO and an OPS+ of 77 in 538 PA.

In terms of major league plate appearances, his rookie season was the high water mark of his career, but it wasn’t his best season.  In 2001 and 2002 he put up near major league average seasons at the plate (OPS+ of 97 and 99 respectively).  In 2003 he hit a dreadful 0.132/.190/.132, good for an OPS+ of -16, in 28 games with the Rangers.  Lamb fared better in Triple-A hitting 0.288/.383/.485 in 323 PA but his time in the Texas organization was just about over.

On February 5th, 2004 the Rangers traded Lamb to the New York Yankees for RHP Jose Garcia.  If you are thinking, “I didn’t know Mike Lamb played for the Yankees!”  Don’t worry, you didn’t really miss anything.  Just a month and a half later, on March 25th New York traded Lamb to the Houston Astros for RHP Juan De Leon.  In retrospect, it was a trade that the Astros won in a landslide.  De Leon climbed to high-A for the Yankees in 2004 and had excellent numbers, but injuries struck and cost him the entire 2005 season.  He returned to pitch in the Dominican Summer League in 2006 but that was the end of his professional career.  By 2007 he was out of baseball and obviously never reached the majors.

Getting back on point, we now return to the primary focus of this article …

After being traded twice in the span of 2 months, Mike Lamb found a home in Houston.  From 2004 to 2007 his OPS+ ran, in succession, 119, 81, 113 and 111.  During that span he averaged 122 games and 359 plate appearances per season.  Despite his limited defensive capabilities, he was worth a combined 5.3 WAR in that 4 year run and was an asset to some very good Astros teams.  He hit 0.250/.326/.675 in 16 postseason games and contributed a HR in 4 of the 5 series he played in.

Then the wheels came off.

He signed with the Minnesota Twins as a free agent after the 2007 season for $3.5 million.  During the 2008 season he hit 0.233/.276/.322 in 81 games with the Twins before being released on September 5th.  He signed with the Milwaukee Brewers on December 9th, 2008 but failed to make the opening day roster and was cut on April 1st, 2009. The New York Mets signed him to a minor league contract on April 25th.  He stayed in Triple-A the entire season and hit 0.261/.299/.370 in 466 PA for the Buffalo Bisons.

On February 11th, 2010 the Florida Marlins signed Lamb to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.  On the heels of his 0.355/.412/.516 performance in 31 spring training at bats he made the opening day roster.  Then the bouncing began.  On May 6th he was DFA’d but cleared waivers and was sent to Triple-A New Orleans on May 12th.  On May 27th he was called up, but was again DFA’d on June 6th.  Again he cleared waivers and made his way back to New Orleans on June 9th.  Nine days later, on June 18th, he was called back up and stayed with the Marlins until yesterday when he was, once again, designated for assignment.

He’s now 34-years old and is bouncing back and forth between the Marlins in their Triple-A affiliate New Orleans Zephyrs while repeatedly clearing waivers along the way.  In the majors this season he has hit a lackluster 0.184/.225/.263 in 38 AB.  Perhaps the bigger problem for Lamb is the fact that he has managed to hit just 0.266/.324/.328 in 64 AB.  His defense was never very good to begin with but the big problem for Mike Lamb is that his HR power is gone, the doubles power is gone, the bat is gone. He’s a pinch hitting utility player who can’t hit and can’t play defense.  He had a nice run from 2004 to 2007.  He had a respectable major and minor league career.  He got to play in 4 postseason series, including the 2005 World Series.  He’s had his moments, but it is seems pretty obvious that it is time to call it a career.

The “Other” Moves:

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